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(source: European Union)
I. Information on Community Law
- The fundamental principle of non-discrimination on grounds of nationality
between students studying in a foreign country and national students applies
as regards admission to an educational or training establishment. This
includes enrolment fee requirements and the conditions governing the award
of a grant to cover such fees. In this respect, any Community citizen must
be treated in the same way as national citizens. One example of the kind of
problem which young people studying another country may encounter would be
special requirements on admission, the need to pass tests or supply
documentary evidence, or other such conditions which are not required of
nationals, and which have no objective justification.
- Each Member State's law provides for financial assistance for students in
higher education. Some countries' laws may make it possible for a grant to
be transferred where a student decides to study in another country. In other
words, the student may continue to receive financial aid from his/her
country of origin while studying in another Member State.
- Students covered by the Erasmus chapter of the Socrates programme are
treated more favourably than students who have changed countries outside the
Community scheme or under an inter-university agreement. It goes without
saying that such students are still covered by the principle of equal
treatment in terms of admission conditions, with exemption from the
requirement to pay any enrolment fee. In addition, though, they continue to
receive grants or other forms of financial assistance from their country of
origin, regardless of the general rules or any obstacles in the country in
question concerning the transferability of grants. As regards recognition of
periods of training completed in an establishment in another country, the
Community legislation governing the programme requires that this be provided
for in the form of agreements between the university of origin and the host
university. Such recognition is not necessarily guaranteed where study
periods or training periods are not within the scope of the Socrates/Erasmus
programme.
- The conditions set out in a. above constitute a minimum set of
rights which apply to all students who do not enjoy a broader status under
Community law. For instance, where a student is classified as a worker or as
a child of a Community worker, the principle of equal treatment applies to
other aspects of academic life as well, i.e. enrolment and maintenance
grants, general academic benefits, and any other measure designed to
facilitate the student's education.
II. Information concerning the national education system
Compulsory education: primary and lower secondary education
Structure and duration
School attendance is compulsory between the ages of 6 and 16, and the
requirement covers both primary school (école élémentaire) and lower
secondary school (collège). Generally, pupils leaving the collège
(4 years) are 15 years of age; therefore they must still attend school full-time
for at least one more year to satisfy the compulsory schooling requirement.
Normally, they do so in a general and technological lycée or a
vocational lycée. Primary education lasts five years from the age of 6
to the age of 11. It includes five classes divided into two cycles: the basic
learning cycle which begins already in the upper section of nursery school (école
maternelle) and continues in the first two years of primary school; and the
consolidation cycle which covers the final three years before admission to the collège.
Lower secondary education lasts four years - 6th, 5th, 4th and 3rd classes - for
pupils from the age of 11 to 15. It is divided into three cycles: the 6th class
is the cycle of adaptation; the 5th and the 4th classes are the central cycle;
and the 3rd is the specialisation cycle.
School Year
The school year normally starts at the beginning of September and lasts for
36 weeks.
Access
Entry requirements
Attendance at primary school is compulsory for all children from the age of
6. As a rule, parents are required to enrol their children in the school area in
which they live, but exceptions are possible. All pupils who have completed the
consolidation cycle of primary school are admitted to collège at the
latest when they are 12 years old.
Tuition fees
All compulsory schooling is provided free of charge. The cost of books and
other teaching materials is often borne by the municipality in the case of
primary schools and by the county councils (Conseils généraux) in the case of
collèges.
Languages
The teaching of a foreign language in the last two years of the consolidation
cycle of primary school has been introduced in certain schools on an
experimental basis since 1989. Since 1995, teachers may, on a voluntary basis,
give short, daily introductory classes in a foreign language to primary pupils
(last year of basic learning cycle and first year of consolidation cycle).
At collège, the study of a first foreign language is compulsory from
the 6th class, and the study of a second foreign or regional language is
possible (compulsory as from September 1998) from the 4th class.
Promotion
1. Primary education:
Each child has a report book (livret scolaire) which informs parents
of the proposal of the Teachers' Council of the cycle attended concerning the
child's promotion to a higher class or cycle and the final decision taken.
According to the pupil's performance promotion can be delayed or advanced.
2. Collège:
Marks are noted in a report which is sent to parents. Only in the 4th and 3rd
classes are pupils' results noted in a school report book and are taken into
account for the award of the national certificate.
Certification
1. Primary education:
Children who complete normal school attendance or have difficulties that are
not covered by special education are promoted automatically from primary school
to the first year of secondary school. There is no final examination and each
pupil has the right to be admitted in the 6th class of collège.
2. Collège:
At the end of the 3rd class pupils sit a national examination, and, if
successful, are awarded the national certificate (diplôme national du brevet).
The certificate is awarded on the basis of marks achieved in the examination and
of results during the 4th and 3rd classes. This is a general education
certificate that does not determine future study options.
Financial assistance
State financial assistance can be direct or indirect. Direct allowances are
given at the beginning of the school year to pupils from the age of 6 to 16 on
the basis of family income. Support for transport is also provided. Indirect
allowances are given in the form of books and teaching materials provided free
by municipalities and county councils. Sometimes municipalities also offer
scholarships to support pupils in their studies.
Post-compulsory education: upper secondary education
Structure and duration
Upper secondary education is provided either in general and technological lycées,
or in vocational lycées. The former prepare pupils in three years (2nd,
1st and final classes) for the general or technological Baccalauréat.
The latter prepare pupils in two years for the CAP (vocational proficiency
certificate) and the BEP (vocational studies certificate); two additional years
enable pupils to prepare for the vocational Baccalauréat.
School Year
As in compulsory schooling, the school year usually starts in September and
lasts 36 weeks.
Access
Entry requirements
Pupils' admission to general and technological or vocational lycées
depends on the choice of the pupil based on the advice of the teachers' council,
on his/her parents' wishes and on the decision of an ad hoc committee.
Tuition fees
State secondary education is free of charge.
Languages
Study of a foreign language is compulsory in general and technological lycées.
Promotion
Pupils' assessment is similar to that carried out in the collège. The
2nd class plays an important role in the specialisation of pupils. At the
beginning of the year all pupils are assessed in the basic disciplines and
during the year they decide which course they want to take in the 1st class.
These courses determine the kind of Baccalauréat they will obtain at the
end of their studies.
Certification
Studies completed in general and/or technological lycées lead to a
general or technological Baccalauréat examination. It is the key to
admission to higher education and includes both compulsory and optional
examinations. Only one examination session is organised each year; in each
regional education authority, a selection committee, headed by a recteur,
selects the examination subjects. An examination session is organised under the
same conditions in September for candidates who were unable, for reasons beyond
their control, to sit the examination at the end of the previous school year.
Pupils who do not pass the Baccalauréat examination but have, on
average, received marks equivalent to at least 8/20 can obtain a secondary
school leaving certificate (certificat de fin d'études secondaires).
This certificate does not entitle them to enter higher education.
Financial assistance
For upper secondary education there are direct and indirect State allowances.
Direct allowances consist mainly of family allowances and education grants
(means-tested on the basis of family income). Indirect allowances consist mainly
of tax relief.
University and non-University higher education
Structure and duration
Higher education is characterised by a great variety of institutions.
Organisation and admission vary according to the type of institution and the
purpose of the education provided. Higher education institutions include:
- universities, which offer short courses (Baccalauréat + 2, first
cycle) or long courses (Baccalauréat + 3 or more, second and third
cycles);
- public or private colleges or institutes, which provide higher vocational
education under the supervision of various ministries. This takes the form
of short courses (technological, commercial or paramedical training, etc.)
or long courses of three or more years after the Baccalauréat
(political science, engineering, commerce and management, veterinary
science, notarial skills, architecture, telecommunications and art).
Post-Baccalauréat courses are offered by general and technological lycées:
classes préparatoires aux grandes écoles (CPGE); higher technical
sections (STS), which prepare students in two years for the brevet de
technicien supérieur (BTS). Long courses are offered by the grandes
écoles, which can be private or public. Most private institutions which are
recognised by decree of the Ministry for Higher Education have the right to
award official certificates.
Academic year
As a rule, the academic year runs from the beginning of October until the end
of June.
Access
Entry requirements:
Qualifications: to enroll at a university, applicants must hold a Baccalauréat
or a certificate judged equivalent or must have the national diploma providing
access to university studies (diplôme d'accès aux études universitaires
- DAEU). To enter a grande école, students must, after obtaining the
Baccalauréat, prepare for the entry examination in a classe préparatoire aux
grandes écoles (CPGE). European citizens must possess the qualification
allowing them to enter higher education in their home country.
Admission: universities are obliged to admit all Baccalauréat
candidates to the first year of courses. Applicants to the grandes écoles
have to pass an entry examination, prepared for in a CPGE, admission to which is
subject to scrutiny of the applicant's school record by a committee of teachers
in the CPGE itself. The entry examination is organised by the grandes écoles
themselves; admission to these institutions is very selective. Other
higher-education establishments apply selection criteria and methods which they
decide themselves (entry examinations, scrutiny of applicants' records,
interview, etc.). In addition to an entry examination, each grande école
can apply its own selection criteria and methods. EU citizens are subject to the
same rules as French students, but the registration procedure differs. EU
citizens wishing to enroll at a university must apply through the cultural
division of the French embassy in their country, and have to go through a
procedure of pre-enrolment, unless they belong to special categories. Some of
these categories are mentioned in the academic recognition section; those not
included are the following:
- students coming to France under inter-university agreements;
- students who hold a French scholarship or an international organisation
scholarship managed by a French institution;
- political refugees; etc.
EU citizens wishing to enroll in all the other special institutions
recruiting students by entry examination must apply directly to the institution
of their choice. It is up to the institution concerned to decide on their
admission.
Numerus clausus: no numerus clausus rules are applied by French
universities, except the medical faculties. In other subjects, students are
admitted according to the institutions capacity. However, students have to pass
the two-year degree (DEUG or DEUST) to be admitted to continue for further
degrees. Grandes écoles always apply the numerus clausus rule.
Languages: to enter university, EU citizens must pass a language test
to prove their oral and written knowledge of French. Some categories are
excluded from this requirement. They are:
- citizens of countries where French is the official language;
- German students holding the Allgemeine Hochschulreife (general
certificate of aptitude for higher education);
- students holding the French-German Baccalauréat;
- students holding the DALF (diplôme approfondi de langue francaise).
Students applying to grandes écoles have to pass an entry examination and
must therefore know French already.
Tuition fees
University tuition fees for courses leading to national degrees are fixed
each year by a decree of the Minister responsible for higher education. Foreign
students from an EU Member State, with the exception of Erasmus students, must
pay these fees, unless they are receiving a grant from the Ministry responsible
for higher education. The same applies to all public higher-education
establishments. Public and private école supérieure fees are higher and
vary.
Academic recognition
1.Recognition of certificate of aptitude for higher education:
The holders of a foreign secondary school or higher education certificate
wishing to study in France should apply to the establishment of their choice:
decisions concerning the recognition of diplomas are taken by the head of the
establishment in question. A full or partial academic waiver may be granted by
an education committee, which takes its decision on a case-by-case basis. Some
courses, however, have different entry requirements (medicine, pharmacy,
paramedical training, architecture, agronomy, music, dance, plastic arts, etc.)
2.Recognition of final qualifications:
Information on the recognition of higher education qualifications awarded by
other EU countries can be obtained at NARIC centres.
Final qualifications
At university level, intermediate and final qualifications are as follows:
- first cycle: DEUG (diplôme d'études universitaires générales)
or DEUST (diplôme d'études universitaires scientifiques et
technologiques), lasting two years (Baccalauréat +2);
- second cycle: basic and professional education leading to the
degree of Licence (DEUG+1) and Maîtrise (Licence+1);
professional education leading to a technical Maîtrise (DEUG+2);
three-year study course leading to an engineering degree (Maîtrise+1);
study courses at IUP (university institutes of vocational education) and
IUFM (university institutes for teacher training);
- third cycle: professional education leading to a certificate of
advanced specialised studies (diplôme d'études supérieures
spécialisées - DESS, Maîtrise+1) or research training leading
to an advanced studies certificate (diplôme d'études approfondies -
DEA). The DEA can be followed by the Doctorat. All public and private
institutions and grandes écoles provide a final certificate in their
field of specialisation.
Financial assistance
Grants: two types of scholarship are available for both French and
European citizens: those awarded on social criteria and those awarded to
third-cycle students on the basis of academic and social criteria. Social grants
are awarded taking account of family income and outgoings and, in some cases,
students' incomes. They apply to students who are under the age of 26 when they
submit their first application and who wish to study for a national or other
approved degree on a full-time basis. Students in the first or second cycles,
students studying engineering, medicine or pharmacy, and students studying for a
teaching qualification lose their entitlement to a grant if they have to repeat
part of their course.
Eligibility: scholarships are awarded on the basis either of family
income and attendance at full-time courses or of students' performance. Students
must be enrolled in the first or second cycle, in technical higher education
sections or in preparatory classes for grandes écoles. They have to be
under 26 if starting studies and promoted to the next class if already receiving
a grant. University scholarships are awarded by the universities for third-cycle
study courses (DESS, DEA and Doctorat). EU citizens are eligible for such
aid in accordance with the Community rules explained in Section I.1 above.
III. Useful addresses
Primary and secondary education
The town hall (Mairie) in each municipality in France has an education
department which is responsible for registering pupils in primary and
pre-primary (nursery) schools.
It also provides parents with the addresses of the regional and district
education offices which have all the necessary information on entry to secondary
education establishments (first and second cycle).
With regard to pre-university education, parents should first contact the
town hall of their municipality.
Higher education
With regard to higher education, foreign students with the necessary diplomas
should apply to the establishment of their choice. The regional education
offices can supply details of establishments in the region in which the students
will be living.
Academic recognition
NARIC (Network of National Academic Recognition Information Centres)
Ministère de l'Education Nationale, de la Recherche et de la Technologie
Sous-direction des relations multilatérales Bureau de l'accueil, de la
mobilité et de l'information internationale - DRIC B3
110 rue de Grenelle F-75007 Paris
Tel: (+33) 1 55.55.65.90
Other useful addresses, as well as details of other Factsheets, are contained
in the Citizens First Guides.
Note: This Citizens First Factsheet is intended to provide
guidance on EU law for information purposes only. It has been prepared by the
European Commission with the help of national authorities and contains
information on the national implementation of EU law. You are advised that the
texts of Community legal instruments should be relied upon in case of doubt
concerning the extent of a right or obligation arising from EU law.
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